Northdixie Designs: August 2011

Two Upcoming Campaigns

In October I will host 31 Days of Art....

but in order to do that I will have

20 Days of Wiping the Slate Clean

in September to get ready.

I'm really excited about this.

The 20 Day campaign is to finish

some projects on hand to make room

for the 31 Days of technique exploration.

More to come!

My painting teacher shifted uncomfortably while I cried in the hallway outside the classroom. I was so frustrated. I could envision what I wanted my painting to be but I couldn't make the darn paint do what I wanted. My teacher said, "You're the one who wants to be here." This was true. I wanted to paint like Rembrandt instantly and it just wasn't happening. But even Rembrandt couldn't paint like Rembrandt in the beginning. I wasn't letting myself be a learner.

Let yourself be a learner.

Meeting Goals

I received my advance copy of the Early American Life magazine and here is the cover with the words "Izannah Walker Dolls" on the front. And here's my shot of the inside of the magazine. There is a great daguerrotype leading off the article of a girl holding an original Izannah Walker doll when it was new. Yay! There is satisfaction in meeting a goal, and having an article published about Izannah Walker dolls has been one of my goals for a while.

Visit EAL's website for information about getting copies of this issue and subscribing. Also, this magazine is a great gift for those who enjoy studying Early American Life.

Beauty in Surprising Places

I heard one of the other kids say to my son,

"Why is your mom taking pictures of the toilet building?"

Don't you love it when someone

makes something mundane beautiful?

A detail of the luscious color
and texture created
by wind, sun, rain and snow.

The mundane does not have to be dull and boring

as proven by Windover Art Center.

The plastic trash cans at Windover Art Center.

All done with Sharpies!!!
by Julie (Julia?) a staff member
at Windover Art Center.

This makes me want
to buy some Sharpies
and a plastic trash can.

31 Days of Change

detail of Dixie Redmond self-portrait

from 20+ years ago.

The Nester writes a decorating blog I like to read. Her blog's tagline is "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful." She's invited readers to participate in 31 Days of Change in October where you can pick your own 31 days campaign and write about it on your blog. If you're not changing you're not growing (so they say).

I'm going to join in the 31 Days Campaign. I'm still deciding what exactly to call it but it will be art related and I will post every day here on my blog. A few ideas I had were

31 Days of Celebrating Art

31 Days of Art Exploration

31 Days of Art Techniques

31 Days of Finishing

What You Started

Ha ha. Anyway, I'm hoping to find a topic that will challenge me and interest you, too. Stay tuned.

Izannah Walker Article
in Early American Life's
Christmas Issue

Photo, Early American Life Christmas 2011 Issue

Last January, my friend Edyth O'Neill and I started writing an article about Izannah Walker dolls for Early American Life. It will be published in the Christmas issue.

This is a long-held goal - to write an article about Izannah Walker dolls. Writing with a partner who is hundreds (thousands?) of miles away was a hoot! At first we emailed ideas and fragments of the article back and forth, but then my younger son taught us how to use Google Documents to write in a shared file. Much easier! Back and forth we went. Writing with another person requires a level of trust and love. Writing with Edyth was a joy. Edyth has a natural and flowing writing style which I've enjoyed in her book Rugs for My Red Cape. She has a few of those left to sell from her site. A beautiful book.

Subscribe to Early American Life here.

Early Map Inspiration

I can't stop thinking about this map that was in the summer edition of Antiques and Fine Art. It's fueled all kinds of thoughts and ideas for artwork. It is owned by the Old Economy Village. This charming map made me think what a town of my own design would look like. Hmmmmm....a painting inspiration, maybe?

A Wonderful Gift

I got the nicest package in the mail yesterday. It was a parcel of antique fabrics and an antique baby's dress. I am always in awe that these old things were literally the fabric of someone's life - long before the Cotton Council used that phrase in an ad. I don't know much about dating old fabrics, the note said "some are early and some are later". If YOU know about fabrics, let me know about them... Some of these prints have such a modern feel! Thank you to the kind lady who sent these to me!

My 1000th Post
Setting New Goals

Water ripples, CSP

This is my 1000th post. I'm not setting off fireworks. I'm in a contemplative state of mind. This blog shows my journey as a person and as an artist for the past 5 years. I set some goals way back then and have met some of them. That makes me proud! But it's time to set some new goals. Years of being a student and a teacher makes me think of September as the real beginning of the year. So I'll be taking some time to set some new goals.

How about you?

Does fall feel like the beginning of a new year?

Are you setting goals?

The Comfort Zone

Trying something new

isn't always comfortable.

No standing on the shore,
dipping your toe in.

Wade right in.

Fabric Store Memories

I have a sewing mama. And my granny was a seamstress as well. Some of my earliest memories are of my mom sitting at the sewing machine. I was interested in the way they worked, and sometimes my mom would let me press the foot-feed with my hand to make it go. She made curtains and bedspreads and dresses when I was growing up. We would go visit the fabric stores and I loved going in between all the bolts of fabric. I still do.

When my granny passed away, I bought fat quarters of fabrics that reminded me of ones she had used in a quilt she made back in the 30's. I felt close to her at the fabric store. After she retired, she still sewed, even though she had been doing it for a job all her life. We would visit fabric stores and Granny would buy fabric for a dress for one of her grand-girls.

Brewer Maine Marden's

This is one of my favorite fabric stores. Yes, it is Marden's. They don't just sell fabric - they sell the craziest things because it's a salvage store. They buy stock from businesses that are going out of business. They often stock the BEST retired and discontinued quilting cottons. And it's only 10 minutes from my house. I can get into some serious fabric buying trouble at this place!

Brewer Maine Marden's

They have reproduction fabrics there

that are perfect for antique inspired creations.

This is a classic print that reminds me of 1850's dresses.

And don't these prints below make you think fall?

Sometimes I just like to go and look at all the colorful bolts. It gets me in a creative frame of mind. But watch out if I put one bolt in my cart. It's all over then. I have a hard time just buying ONE piece of fabric.

Brewer Maine Marden's

The Eye of the Beholder

On the way to Withington's to visit the Izzy to be auctioned next week we stopped at the Franklin Pierce Homestead. Franklin Pierce was our 14th President. The house wasn't open but we got a look at the outside. My son saw this "eye" in a big tree in front of the house above. Here is my crew below. Fun times. Izannah pictures to be posted next week on the Izannah Walker Chronicles.

The family reunion was great fun. Now back to doing laundry....and planning an Izannah adventure.More on that later! Share

Dixie Redmond's Izannah Walker Inspired E Pattern to Be Released

I will release my Izannah Walker inspired doll pattern as an e-pattern in the fall. My target date for this is September 30th. Many of you have said you'd like to purchase just the pattern when it comes out. The Izannah Walker Workshop class site hosted on ning will change to a group for those who want to share the adventure of creating an Izannah Walker inspired or reproduction doll with other doll makers for a modest yearly subscription. I'll be posting more about this in September.

I send out an occasional newsletter to subscribers letting them know what's new in Northdixie Designs Land. I just sent one out today. I use the newsletter to let people know I have a creation up for adoption as well, before I publish them online. So if you want the inside scoop, join my newsletter list. It's permission based, you sign up and you can easily unsubscribe if you decide it's not for you.

I'm mentally sending cooler temperatures and gentle night-time rains to those of you suffering in heat.

It's Family Reunion Time

We're getting ready to have some family fun! We'll do those kinds of games that only get done at family reunions, school field days and summer camps.

Cousins will see each other who haven't for a year. Grownups will talk about how much the kids have grown and how we don't recognize them. But we'll recognize they're old enough to be some serious help now....